山地住民の空間認識と環境利用

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タイトル別名
  • Spatial Cognition of Mountain Inhabitants According to their System of Environmental Usage
  • サンチ ジュウミン ノ クウカン ニンシキ ト カンキョウ リヨウ トウキョウト オクタママチニッ パラ オ ジレイ ニ
  • A Case Study of Nippara, Western Tokyo
  • 東京都奥多摩町日原を事例に

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The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the mountainside inhabitants of Nippara and their environment. The Nippara inhabitants have been influenced since ancient times by their environment, learning to compensate for hardships and finding multiple means of subsistence in their own immediate area. The culture of the inhabitants, also shaped by environment, is based on a special system of invisible borders; these borders create various ‘spaces’ in which their daily activities are conducted and according to which the hamlet is organized. This system of invisible borders will be referred to as “spatial cognition”.<br>My study is based on data collected from interviews with the inhabitants of Nippara, Okutama, a small hamlet in the mountains of western Tokyo. The period from the Taisho Era through World War II was chosen for two reasons: first, because the lifestyle of Nippara inhabitants changed drastically after World War II, and second, because this is the last opportunity to interview those who lived during that time.<br>Although technically situated in Tokyo, the inhabitants of Nippara preserve a separate and distinct culture. Based on direct interviews with inhabitants of Nippara, this article will examine their lifestyle, and how it has been and still is determined by boundaries based on spatial classification. Physically, Nippara can be described as a mountainous area in western Tokyo, around 600 meters above sea level. Houses are scattered on steep mountain slopes, and fields around the houses are hard to plow.<br>Historically, during the Edo Era, the region was controlled by the Shogunate. The inhabitants of Nippara faced many restrictions, and were allowed only limited use of environmental resources in their area. During that same era, two famous stalactite caves were used as centers for the religious training of mountain ascetics. Nippara seems to have prospered, in spite of its remote location, until the passing of the Meiji Era, when temples were largely destroyed. Nippara eventually lost its position as a religious gathering place, and since then has become an isolated mountain hamlet.<br>In the past, transportation was problematic; therefore, the inhabitants of Nippara were resigned to a self-contained society, engaging in many different occupations according to the seasons. They married within the boundaries of the Nippara region because of limited contact with outsiders.<br>The residents of Nippara have preserved a unique folk knowledge based on their use of spatial classification; invisible boundaries clearly define many aspects of their lives, beginning with their “living space”. The hamlet is divided into five areas known as Buraku, Minoto, Sawa, Ueno Yama and Mukou Yama. The inhabitants of each of these areas work at set occupations such as fieldwork, planting wasabi, hunting, etc. Thus “living spaces” and “working spaces” are directly related and sharply, spatially defined.<br>Nippara residents also respect a religious space, which is again defined by specific boundaries. These boundaries enclose a central area which is considered sacred to the gods, and therefore protected. Within the boundary, the Nature gods, such as Yama-no Kami (the mountain god), are held sacred; outside the boundary, evil spirits are said to lurk.<br>Thus the residents of Nippara preserve a unique lifestyle and system of beliefs. They are actively involved in the flow of annual events, and their otherwise monotonous lives are enlivened both by their work and by various religious events. In my next study abroad, I hope to further define the relationships between spatial classification, multiple means of subsistence, the environment, and local culture.

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